Tours and Tastings: Unique Experiences in Kyoto

Kyoto is best known for its beautiful shrines and temples
Kyoto is best known for its beautiful shrines and temples | © Alex Ramsay / Alamy Stock Photo
Culture Trip Travel Team

Kyoto is popular for a reason, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow the well-trodden path. These handpicked tours and experiences take you away from the crowds and show Kyoto in a completely different light.

Kyoto is best known for its beautiful shrines and temples, but there’s much more to the city than manicured gardens and historic architecture. For a new way to discover Kyoto, consider booking a tour or experience. From exploring the city’s lesser-known sights on a bike ride or taking a cultural walking tour with an experienced guide, to enjoying a Japanese cooking class with ingredients sourced from Nishiki Food Market, these unique experiences might just uncover a surprising side to Kyoto.

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Tours

The first stop after cruising through the bustling main street is the bamboo forest. Enjoy the vivid green bamboo as your guide pulls you along the path reserved for rickshaws only, away from other visitors. Have your camera or mobile phone ready to take pictures. You don’t want to miss this.After passing by the Nonomiya Shrine you will enter the second part of the bamboo forest, which is designed like a little park. Here we can take great group pictures with the stunning green bamboo in the background. On the way to the third and last section of the bamboo forest, you will pass by a well-kept scene from the Edo period.The third part of the bamboo forest can only be accessed on foot, so our guide will park the rickshaw within walking distance and then guide you to the most famous and impressive part of the bamboo forest. (To avoid the crowds here, we recommend starting the tour before noon.)

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